The "American Lambic" Predicament

Reads 9915 • Replies 76 • Started Monday, May 21, 2012 1:43:50 PM CT

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Message Jeppe beers 2634 º places 84 º 08:11 Thu 5/24/2012 Please don’t call it lambic. Its not like you would call it Champagne just because its sparkling wine.
Message b3shine P beers 12183 º places 372 º 08:11 Thu 5/24/2012 Originally posted by KungFuMike It all depends on what strain of Brett you’re using and what beer you’re using it in. Not all strains of Brett produce sour notes in beers. Even the ones that do aren’t going to come close to contributing as much as lacto and pedio like you said, but in the case of lambics, b3shine’s statement is way out of left field. It’s "way out of left field" that I said brett is a vital component to the souring of lambic? The yeast and the bacteria work together to sour lambic; pitch the bacteria with a different yeast and see how it turns out.
Message KungFuMike 08:15 Thu 5/24/2012 Originally posted by b3shine Originally posted by KungFuMike It all depends on what strain of Brett you’re using and what beer you’re using it in. Not all strains of Brett produce sour notes in beers. Even the ones that do aren’t going to come close to contributing as much as lacto and pedio like you said, but in the case of lambics, b3shine’s statement is way out of left field. It’s "way out of left field" that I said brett is a vital component to the souring of lambic? The yeast and the bacteria work together to sour lambic; pitch the bacteria with a different yeast and see how it turns out. Brett ferments the wort down and cleans up the gross shit that pedio kicks off during lactic fermentation. Lacto and pedio are doing the work in regard to the souring of beer. Your statement that "Brett is a vital component to the souring of lambic" has no basis in reality.

Message b3shine P beers 12183 º places 372 º 08:15 Thu 5/24/2012 Originally posted by levifunk Originally posted by KungFuMike It all depends on what strain of Brett you’re using and what beer you’re using it in. Not all strains of Brett produce sour notes in beers. Even the ones that do aren’t going to come close to contributing as much as lacto and pedio like you said, but in the case of lambics, b3shine’s statement is way out of left field. Brett brings the funk and complexity. ;) I agree with this. But to say that "Brett has very little to do with souring aspects of lambics" is ignoring their importance. At least if you’re concerned about drinkability.
Message t0rin0 P beers 102 º places 1528 º 08:16 Thu 5/24/2012 Originally posted by Jeppe Please don’t call it lambic. Its not like you would call it Champagne just because its sparkling wine. I agree with this. Just call it something else if you want to differentiate it from "wild ales".
Message KungFuMike 08:17 Thu 5/24/2012 Originally posted by t0rin0 Originally posted by Jeppe Please don’t call it lambic. Its not like you would call it Champagne just because its sparkling wine. I agree with this. Just call it something else if you want to differentiate it from "wild ales". +1
Message levifunk beers 12 º 08:18 Thu 5/24/2012 Originally posted by b3shine Originally posted by KungFuMike It all depends on what strain of Brett you’re using and what beer you’re using it in. Not all strains of Brett produce sour notes in beers. Even the ones that do aren’t going to come close to contributing as much as lacto and pedio like you said, but in the case of lambics, b3shine’s statement is way out of left field. It’s "way out of left field" that I said brett is a vital component to the souring of lambic? The yeast and the bacteria work together to sour lambic; pitch the bacteria with a different yeast and see how it turns out. Brett is vital component to the flavor of lambic, but does not significantly contribute to the acidity.

Message levifunk beers 12 º 08:22 Thu 5/24/2012 Originally posted by t0rin0 Originally posted by Jeppe Please don’t call it lambic. Its not like you would call it Champagne just because its sparkling wine. I agree with this. Just call it something else if you want to differentiate it from "wild ales". Well we seem to now be talking about Belgian Lambics and educating b3shine, but I started this off refering to the American counterparts as "American Lambics". That’s my name for them. "American Coolship Ales" has also been proposed. Lets not get hung up on the name. I wanted this to be a discussion on how we think an American brewer who makes a clean balanced "american geuze", instead of a sour bomb, would be received.
Message traPISSED beers 106 º 08:37 Thu 5/24/2012 Originally posted by levifunk Originally posted by t0rin0 Originally posted by Jeppe Please don’t call it lambic. Its not like you would call it Champagne just because its sparkling wine. I agree with this. Just call it something else if you want to differentiate it from "wild ales". Well we seem to now be talking about Belgian Lambics and educating b3shine, but I started this off refering to the American counterparts as "American Lambics". That’s my name for them. "American Coolship Ales" has also been proposed. Lets not get hung up on the name. I wanted this to be a discussion on how we think an American brewer who makes a clean balanced "american geuze", instead of a sour bomb, would be received. I think it would be well received as long as the emphasis on the traditional profile was made known. Though with this in mind it would be directly competing with the big boys of Belgian lambic so it would need to have a flavour profile that matched it’s Belgian counterparts. So far I’ve not tasted an American sour that has managed this though they where nice beers in their own right. Regarding the American versions being more lactic...Are these breweries subjected to very warm summers and what temperature are the barrels stored? If the lambic gets too warm the bugs that produce lactic acid will become dominant. Worst case, you’ll end up with vinegar.
Message FlacoAlto beers 4461 º places 17 º 08:40 Thu 5/24/2012 Originally posted by traPISSED I think it would be well received as long as the emphasis on the traditional profile was made known. Though with this in mind it would be directly competing with the big boys of Belgian lambic so it would need to have a flavour profile that matched it’s Belgian counterparts. So far I’ve not tasted an American sour that has managed this though they where nice beers in their own right. Regarding the American versions being more lactic...Are these breweries subjected to very warm summers and what temperature are the barrels stored? If the lambic gets too warm the bugs that produce lactic acid will become dominant. Worst case, you’ll end up with vinegar. I believe you meant to say acetic, every place you say lactic?